Cafe au Lait by Camille Pissarro

Camille Pissarro completed the Impressionist painting Café Au Lait in 1881, just in time for the Impressionists' seventh exhibition. The oblique view in Café Au Lait adds an element of intimacy to Pissarro's portrait of a young woman stirring her cup of café au lait. Pissarro seems to have gazed at her from a close range from above, as if he was standing beside her. With a limited palette of blue and brown, Camille Pissarro conveys in Café Au Lait a simple atmosphere of the rustic kitchen, enforced by his rough brush stroke and solid composition.

Camille Pissarro's Café Au Lait (oil on canvas, 25-11/16x29-9/16 inches) resides at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Camille Pissarro remained interested in innovation throughout his career. Continue to the next page to learn about how Pissarro explored new ideas.

For more on Impressionist paintings, artists, and art history, see:

• Impressionism
• Vincent van Gogh
• Claude Monet